Thread: Aikido Weapons
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Old 01-10-2011, 02:45 PM   #30
graham christian
Dojo: golden center aikido-highgate
Location: london
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,697
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Re: Aikido Weapons

Hi everyone. I see this thread created some interesting debate so that's all good.

What I gave I said were some basics to look at and as with all teaching or imparting information you cannot account for the whole of the audience getting what you are referring to. But as I've said they can ask for clarification if they are interested.

Marc, I see what you mean by oversimplification from your point of view but for me what one person needs in order to understand is different to what another may need so I choose to give a little rather than write a book so to speak rightly or wrongly. It's not much different to teaching in the dojo, if you give too much data then some students get lost, if you give too little then some get confused, so you choose and then observe and thus judge if more is needed or if it needs simplifying. I'm not quite as extreme as a zen master though.

Mary, you wonder how this fits with reality? O.k. I'll try to explain.

If you understand the straight line, the cut and the turning from center it can help you when observing someone cutting with tegatana and getting stuck for example. You may notice they are chopping rather than cutting for example. If someone is doing tsuki improperly you may notice they are not striking through in a straight line and if you see someone stuck trying to throw someone when receiving the jo you may notice they are turning it around one end rather than it's center or that they are not seeing the right turn needed. This is one example of reality in teaching and indeed learning.

Now if you also see that they can all then be used in like each other then that is the next stap rather than the first step I would say.

Finally if you then study them from the viewpoint of energy motion and practice with them from this viewpoint you will then be able to recognise and automatically do in life in real situations. For example; The thrust of the jo is merely energy or force coming at you in a straight line as is tsuki as is a left jab as is a thrust with a knife or broken bottle as is some bullet head running straight at you. These things happen in reality but in truth they are directed forces.
The right hook or a swinging bottle is force coming at you but is circular and so due to training with the sword and jo used in those ways you learn to either keep outside of that circle or to turn into the center of it etc. etc. This harmonizing with the attacking force as learned in Aikido helps you in reality with other similar motions of force. This is my explanation anyway.

George, your explanation of the scene as far as Aikiken is concerned I find interesting as I assumed wrongly that most had a fixed view on how it should be done and must be done. Plus I'm pleasantly surprised to find we have at least one view in common, thank you for that. May I add purely as something to share that I teach that there is no blocking in Aikido or in swordwork and thus for me it gets my students relying more on correct aiki movements and the resultant cuts etc. Having said that I also hold to thae principle of no blocking and insist that the student learns how to meet rather than block which from the outside may look like blocking but when one knows the difference is a world apart.

Niall, your explanations are clear as usual.

Regards all and any I didn't respond to. G.
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